Who knew? Woody Guthrie, the American folk singer and agitator of the Dust Bowl and the Depression, the writer of “This Land is Your Land” and “Roll On Columbia,” also wrote Hanukkah songs! And now, adding to his posthumous collaborations with Billy Bragg and Wilco, Dropkick Murphys, Madeleine Peyroux, and Jonatha Brooke, there’s one by The Klezmatics. (Actually, this one originaly came out in a limited way in 2003 and got an expanded release in 2006, and now it’s getting the deluxe vinyl treatment and is available on streaming services.)
I probably also knew at one time about Woody’s Jewish connections, but I’d forgotten about this aspect of his biography. In 1942 when Woody moved to Brooklyn he got involved with Coney Island’s Jewish community through his mother-in-law, the beloved Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. Through their relationship, Woody was inspired to write lyrics about the Jewish experience both personal and political, including this batch of Hanukkah songs, which under the auspices of executive producer Nora Guthrie and The Woody Guthrie Center, were put to music by members of The Klezmatics.
This album includes eight songs with lyrics by Woody from 1949. Sprinkled among them like leavening are four (mostly) instrumental klezmer tunes by the band, and as a bonus, live versions of three of the Guthrie numbers.
For the most part this is a joyous, rollicking affair, often filled with the kind of clever (sometimes corny) wordplay Guthrie was fond of, as is clear from just the titles of Woody’s songs: “Honeyky Hanuka,”Happy Joyous Hanuka,” “Hanuka Tree,” and “Hanuka Gelt.” One with words and music by Woody is the rather sentimental family song “Hanukkah Dance,” but the others tend toward The Klezmatics’ trademark punk-rock tempos. The band’s originals for the most part are the kind of clever and engaging klezmer that you’d expect for a band entering its 40th season and with more than a dozen records to their name: “Gilad And Ziv’s Sirba,” “Groovy’s Freylekhs” and “Spin Dreydl Spin” all make you want to get up and dance in a folk circle, though “(Do The) Latke Flip-Flip” is a bit of a throw-away.
Nestled in the midst of all the celebration and high energy dealings is Woody’s somber ballad “The Many And The Few,” a celebration of Jewish history and faith from the end of the Babylonian exile through the story of the Maccabees that is now celebrated annually during Hanukkah. It’s sung in a duet of alternating verses by The Klezmatics’ lead vocalist Lorin Sklamberg and American folk singer Susan McKeown, accompanied only by a quietly droning accordion, and is quite moving.
So if your idea of “the holidays” isn’t Santa and Baby Jesus, or you’re not ready to hear the one millionth version of “Sleigh Ride” again just yet, or if you just fancy something quite different — a unique blend of American folk song and zippy klezmer music — you might enjoy Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah from The Klezmatics.
(Shamus Records, 2025)
